Indeed, it is that time of year when our mind begins to turn its attention to the New Year. If we haven’t had the best of years, we can find ourselves pouring over it with a sense of regret, frustration or sadness. However, I would ask you, how helpful is this in creating your future?? Yes, your thoughts do create your future! So, rather than focusing on what it is you don’t want, how about you decide what you want instead?
Intentions Versus Goals
So, why is an intention better than a goal?? When I first trained as a life coach over 10 years ago, I was taught that setting SMART goals was the best way to achieve anything. However, my experience has taught me that setting clear intentions instead makes the process much more fulfilling, and more sustainable. The reason? Because an intention is a heart based process, whereas a goal is purely cognitive. An achievement set from the heart naturally holds more meaning than one that is purely intellectual. Heart based desire will always win over logic. Think about it. Chocolate or a handful of dried fruit?? You get the point!!
Intentions have a greater capacity to deal with set-backs too. If you have a goal that means you will leave the office by 6pm every evening to get home by 7pm latest, what happens when an urgent meeting is called at 5.30pm?? Do you spend the meeting worrying about missing your personal target, and feeling guilty because you promised the kids you’d be home in time to read them a bedtime story? Are you likely to continue your goal if you ‘fail’ more than a couple of times?
Instead, if you had set an intention to enjoy quality time with your family, it allows more flexibility, whilst stating more clearly why it is that you wanted to leave the office at 6pm in the first place. It enables you to stay focused on the intention all the while you are with your family, rather than feeling a failure because you didn’t make it home as you’d promised.
Examples of Good Intentions For the New Year
- When I’m with my family, I give them my full attention
- I enjoy good relationships wherever I am
- I look for opportunities that will improve my career
- I enjoy looking for new possibilities
- I support myself to live healthily
- I attract financial success
Setting your intentions with someone who completely supports you, and with whom you get on well with, will add to the power of your intentions. Napoleon Hill named this as one of his 17 Principals Of Success in his book of the same name. He said “outstanding success has never been achieved by the effort of one man”. The MasterMind effort is to get those of like mind to form an alliance, to work actively together in a spirit of perfect harmony towards accomplishing a definite purpose”.
For an example of powerful intention setting, see my case study “A Successful Mid-Life Career Change”.
If you would like to be supported with your intentions for the New Year, then I’d be very happy to be that person.Contact me on: 01582 413013 or email info@swancoaching.co.uk
[…] my client came to another decision. He wanted to leave his company. I worked with him to create powerful intention He wanted to find a new career, preferably outside the company, that would put his skills to good […]